NASS Invasion: Mark Fumes At Allegation That His Security Aides Teargassed Tambuwal

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The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) attached to the National Assembly, Idachaba James, has alleged that the security details of Senate President, David Mark, were the ones who threw teargas canister at the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Tambuwal when the police invaded the National Assembly on November 20, an allegation Mark described as embarrassing and preposterous.

Reports say that the DPO told the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led Ad-Hoc committee investigating the invasion of the National Assembly on November 20, that the teargassing of of Tambuwal and other members of the House of Representatives was carried out by the Senate President’s security details and not Police officers from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Reacting to the allegation, Mark, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, described the allegation as dubious.

“The attention of the Office of the President of the Senate has been drawn to news reports alleging that security details attached to the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, were responsible for the use of teargas on the person of the Speaker, House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tanbuwal, at the National Assembly premises on November 20, 2014 and credited to SP Idachaba James, the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, of National Assembly.

“We wish to state without equivocation that the security details attached to the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, did not and could not have attacked the person of Speaker Tambuwal with tear gas.

“We find the reports credited to SP. Idachaba that security details of Senator Mark attacked Speaker Tambuwal with tear gas as absolute falsehood, dubious, vexatious, horrible and embarrassing.

“The events of November 20, 2015 are very fresh and any attempt to re-write or misrepresent them will not stand. SP. Idachaba James, who claimed not to have been present at the scene of the incident but only relied on hearsay, must not be allowed to embark on a name calling exercise.

“It is also imperative to state that any attempt to create a needless feud between the two chambers of the National Assembly is mischievous and wicked

“For the avoidance of doubts, we hereby declare that the security aides of the President of the Senate did not attack Speaker Tambuwal with teargas,” the statement read.

Idachaba’s testimony had however been discredited by other heads of security and paramilitary agencies attached to the National Assembly.